A West Sacramento man was sentenced to life in prison late last week, after a jury found him guilty on 47 counts of child molestation, some of which was captured and saved on his cell phone.
Judge Janet Gaard sentenced Michael Martinez to 335 years in prison, according to a release from Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig. Here are more of the details, courtesy of the DA's Office.
On May 1, 2012, a Yolo County jury found Martinez guilty of the molesting a 7-year old girl. The evidence showed that Martinez engaged in sexual acts with the child and used his cell phone to record the abuse. At trial, Martinez took the stand and denied the conduct. In the probation report, Martinez did not apologize to the victim, and stated “There is a lot about this that has been misunderstood by everyone” and he “can’t be responsible for something he had no control over.”
The evidence at trial also showed that the cell phone containing the videos belonged to Martinez and was found in his pocket during a search. The victim testified and identified Martinez as the perpetrator and his admission to the conduct during his initial interview by officers from the West Sacramento Police Department were also introduced.
Deputy District Attorney Sara Abrate prosecuted the case and stated “This sentence ensures the Defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison and will never have the chance to victimize another child.”
